What Happened to Us?
by trinity6diversia
Summary: There is trouble in paradise when Rush Cloves makes advances towards Senator Amidala and discovers a new form of hell unleashed by her husband, Anakin Skywalker. Will their marriage be able to withstand the lies and deception, or will Anakin's anger tear them apart? As the Republic dives deeper into war, a new war rages in the hearts of a Senator and a Jedi.
1. Part I

**MASSIVE SPOILER ALERT!**

_Disclaimer: I own nothing, nor do I wish to profit from any of this; it is meant for entertainment purposes only._

**_Note from the Author:_**

**Last night, I watched Season 6 of "The Clone Wars" (now on Netflix). I admit, my heart broke a little the last time I saw Anakin and Padme together. There was absolutely no closure, and it left me wondering how on earth there was enough romance left in their marriage to form the conception of Luke and Leia. Obviously, there was, but my question is... how? For all of you who haven't seen the episodes yet, go check them out on Netflix.  
**

**When I woke up this morning, I decided I couldn't take it any longer. I _needed_ to know how they reconciled. How did they sew up that massive rift in their relationship? So I wrote this for me, and for anyone else upset by this turn of events, to know what really happened after the end of "Crisis of the Heart". Clearly, things are patched up at the start of "Revenge of the Sith", and this will explain how that happened. For once, this isn't AU; this is as close to the real story as possible, and considering that they may never delve back into this pond, this might as well be how it really goes.**

**This first "chapter", if it can even be called that, is short because I want to take time to warn you guys of the MASSIVE SPOILER ALERT! I want to delve into what went wrong, and what was said and done, and to do that, I have to, basically, write out the three episodes in the Anakin/Padme/Clovis arc. I'll try to change the dialogue to make it a little less, should I say... sappy? But basically, what you see on the screen translates into this story. And this way, it will all fit together.**

**No, this isn't a one-shot, but it should be fairly short. Enjoy!  
**

**{trinity6diversia}**

* * *

It was silent. Too silent. The war had taken a toll on the Jedi, and it was never clearer than the empty hallways of the Jedi Temple. Few Jedi wandered those sacred halls now; those who did were mostly younglings and those unfit for duty on the front lines. None spoke, their paces slow and their eyes downcast; when, on chance, you met one. But this was rare, and every day, it seemed that there was one less Jedi in that Temple, or in the galaxy itself. No one spoke of the dead, for all knew that the Force was a better place for those valiant warriors. Their mission was over, the pain and heartache was over, and those who were no more were at peace.

Anakin Skywalker ran down these silent halls now, aware as he had never been before just how silent they truly were. The last dying rays of sunlight streamed wearily through the tall windows, ready to give in to the night. They fought, though, as every Jedi fought, until the end, and when at last the night beat them down, they went silently, but with honor. Anakin watched the sun fade, his quick footfalls the only sound in the great halls, and it made him sad, though he did not know why.

The Clone Wars had raged in the galaxy for two years. No, it was a little more. Anakin and Padmé had just had their second wedding anniversary, a small affair by every standard, but one that they both cherished. They had been married about a month after the start of the Clone Wars. Anakin had been kept on bed-rest following his and Obi-Wan's encounter with Count Dooku, and when they had released him from the medical ward, he had been sent with Obi-Wan to run tests and trainings. The Chancellor had brought him back to escort Padmé to Naboo, per her request, and so they had been married in secret and were given a few days in which to enjoy newlywed bliss.

So perhaps it was a little more than two years that the Clone Wars had raged, but to Anakin Skywalker, it felt like a million times more. He could almost swear a decade had passed. He felt old. He was not yet 22 years in age, yet he swore there was a gray hair somewhere on his head. Obi-Wan laughed whenever he mentioned such things, then proceeded to count out every gray hair in _his_ head as a result of his years spent training Anakin. But the truth could not be denied; the war had taken a toll, and the man who had been Anakin Skywalker two years earlier was not him now. He was beaten, broken, a Jedi Knight, a Master in all but rank, and a husband. And he was starting to feel burnt out. He wished he could leave the Jedi Order and stop trying to hide his real life, yet he knew what that would do in the middle of a war; he was the Chosen One, the Hero With No Fear. Abandoning the Jedi Order in their time of need would label him everything but traitor.

Master Windu had not asked Anakin to meet him in the Council Chamber, which told Anakin that the urgent matter which required his attention was military-oriented. He made for the communication chamber, a small room where holograms were received from the front lines. Obi-Wan was already there, with Master Windu and Master Yoda, but the hologram, if indeed there was one, had already been received and a decision had been made.

"Master Windu, you asked for me?" Anakin joined them around the portal and folded his arms across his chest, his usual stance, if not a bit wearier this time around. He had returned from a long stint on the front lines only the day before, and he was certain that a whole week of sleep couldn't possibly fix his state of deprivation.

"We have just received a message from the planet Scipio. They are a core planet of the InterGalactic Banking Clan, and supply funds to the Republic. Senator Amidala had gone there to oversee a transaction, but due to certain events which transpired during her stay, the Muun's have arrested her, and will only release her to a Jedi."

"What sort of events?" Anakin tried valiantly to hide the concern behind his eyes, and succeeded for the most part, except for a quick glance from Obi-Wan which was almost routine by this point. Obi-Wan wasn't necessarily stupid.

"A time bomb went off in the power grid, locking the Senator and others inside the vaults for a short time. They suspected her of organizing the sabotage in an attempt to locate some vital information. This may be the case. But they had no proof it was her doing, or she knew anything of it, and therefore, her arrest was against protocol."

"Will they release her, then?" asked Anakin, and the weariness was so strong in his voice that even Master Yoda glanced at him.

"To a Jedi, yes. We are sending you to retrieve the Senator and bring her back to Coruscant. She can be of no more use to the Republic on Scipio."

"As you wish, Master Windu."

"This should be quick, Anakin," assured Obi-Wan, the sympathy for his young friend clear in his voice. "You will be back on Coruscant before you know it, and then you can sleep for as long as you want."

"Let's not bring hope where there is none," answered Anakin with a small smile.

"You are dismissed, Skywalker," said Master Windu, and without another word, Anakin inclined his head and departed from the communication chamber.

* * *

**Once again, let me remind you that the following chapters are going to provide ****MASSIVE SPOILERS, so if you don't want to see what happens in Season 6 of "The Clone Wars", don't keep reading! You've been warned.**


	2. Part II

**MASSIVE SPOILER ALERT!  
**

**This is Part II, also known in The Clone Wars TV series as S06E05, "An Old Friend".**

* * *

It was nice to fly somewhere without the fear of being shot at, and before Anakin knew it, he was being granted clearance to Scipio airspace. The flight had been relaxing, at best, and with six hours of meditation behind him, Anakin could finally think clearly. There was strength again, if not as much as he had in his younger years, at least a good supply. The knowledge that he would see Padmé, too, gave him an absurd amount of stimulation, and despite what she had gotten herself into, she had basically just given them a whole flight back in which to enjoy together. What luxury!

The Muun's started by answering every question Anakin sent their way, if not a bit begrudgingly. From them, Anakin learned that Teckla, Padmé's handmaiden, had set the time bomb. She had died as a result, and her body had been found at the bomb site. Anakin knew how close she and Padmé had been, and knew that he would have to be the one to tell her. And then, when the Muun's had said as much as they were willing to say, Anakin was escorted to Padmé's cell, where he couldn't keep himself from laughing.

"Well well well… what exactly do we have here?" he asked, the surprised and very grateful look on his wife's face answer enough.

"Anakin, I can't believe they sent you," was the stunned response.

"Yeah, I can't believe it either. I guess I'm not just useful for fighting wars after all. That should be convincing."

"How long have I been in here?"

"A few days. No one tells me anything. What's going on?"

"It's not safe to talk about it here. Clovis and…"

"Clovis!" In the first two minutes of a conversation with his wife, that man's name was the last thing Anakin expected to hear.

"Anakin…" Padmé remembered the friction between the two men, as husband and ex-lover, and knew Anakin could very easily loose hold of his senses in regards to Senator Clovis.

"Clovis is _here_. You _saw_ him."

"Anakin… you don't understand. He's helping me."

"Helping you! How can you put your trust in a man like Clovis, after what he did to you?!"

"It's for the Republic, Anakin."

The exhaustion was returning in full strength, or maybe the anger was burning so badly in Anakin's veins that he made him _seem_ tired. He rubbed his temples.

"Why is it, whenever Clovis is around, your excuse is always, 'It's for the Republic…'?" He didn't wait for an answer, but walked to the cell door as it opened.

"Anakin, please…" Padmé's voice made him stop; it _always _made him stop. He turned and glared at her, crossing his arms, ignoring the Muun guards watching them.

"You know, maybe I should just leave you here."

"Ani…" Those _eyes_. She didn't even know it; she was trying to be _angry_ and here she was making his heart skip a beat.

"You've already been released into my custody," growled Anakin, glaring at her again, almost regretting the negotiations that gave her back to him. She opened her mouth but he turned away before she could speak. "You better come with me before I change my mind."

Padmé said nothing, but followed her husband out of the cell, grateful for his size advantage over the Nuum guards, and the lightsaber on his belt, and the fact that, when angry, his subjectivity to violence always spiked. She wished his glowing eyes didn't strike fear into her like they did now, and wanted so badly to reach out and take his hand, except for the obviousness of that action and the fear of his response. She did not know whether to love or hate him in that moment.

They walked in silence towards the Jedi Cruiser waiting on the landing platform, Anakin choosing to sense his wife's emotions through the Force rather than to look at her. He could sense regret and fear, but overlaying all of them was an unmistakable fierceness, just like every other time they had been together in a tight situation. Padmé had discovered something, and she would pursue it to the end, just like the Senate Hostage Crisis the year before, and the Blue Shadow Virus incident before that.

They were out of hearing range from the Muun's when Anakin started to sense a buildup, and steeled himself for whatever Padmé was going to throw his way. _Three, two, one…_ and right on cue:

"Anakin, we can't leave without the disk. It contains critical information regarding the Banking Clan. The Chancellor _needs_ to see it."

"And where do you suggest we start looking for that?" asked Anakin, the sharp edge clear in his voice.

"There is a high possibility it was taken outside of the city. The only place it could be is Clovis' personal retreat." Anakin's clenched fists made her cringe, but he fought the Force on this one and didn't let it get too far.

"Fine," he said, directing her away from the Jedi Crusier and towards a set of speeders. "But I'm doing this for _you_, not for Clovis." And as if that was the end of the discussion, he signaled R2 to hold the ship and await his communication. A moment later, the speeder was shooting away from the vaults of Scipio and into the white expanse beyond.

Walking through the busted doors of Clovis' personal retreat, Anakin couldn't help but smirk. Thankfully, Padmé was walking in front of him, so she couldn't see the amusement on his face, and Anakin hid it from the Force so she couldn't even sense it. Smashed doors, destroyed furniture, ashes from the fire strewn all over the place; the hunters were clearly looking for something, but all Anakin saw was one man's life turned upside down, and how happy that made him. But Padmé's reaction was different. First horror, then concern, and Anakin wasn't sure if it was for Clovis or the missing files. He stood to the side while she walked around the debris.

"They must have known Clovis had the files," she said.

"Maybe they found what they were looking for and that's why he's missing," suggested Anakin, then added in a lower voice with a smirk and a glint in his eye. "We can only hope."

"Anakin, you're not helping here," snapped Padmé, and he crossed his arms, her reaction doing nothing but anger him further. "You don't seem to realize how important these files are."

Anakin didn't bother to argue, for a moment later, Clovis appeared from a secret compartment under the stairs, his face showing an intense relief at seeing Padmé alive. He reached for her, but Padmé pushed him away, glancing quickly at Anakin, who hadn't moved an inch, but regarded Clovis with a mixture of distain and murder.

"You again!" hissed Clovis, the anger clear in his own voice. He would never forget the incident on Cato Neimoidia in which Padmé was poisoned and after procuring the antidote, Anakin had left Clovis to the wrath of the Senator Lott Dod. It was not a pleasant memory, at least for Clovis. It still made Anakin smirk.

"Yes, me again," said Anakin with a sinister look in his eyes. He held out a hand to Clovis. "Alright, lover-boy, where's the disk?"

"I'm not about to hand the information over to some… _pilot!"_ Clovis spat on the ground in front of Anakin, who merely glared at him and folded his arms again.

"I'm a Jedi Knight who can save your life!" he hissed. "_If_ you hand over the files. So, what's it gonna be, Clovis? Are you gonna give us the disk or what?"

"And then what? You leave me stranded like last time?" The sarcasm was clear in Clovis' voice as he turned away and made for the front doors; the only doors in the building not smashed.

"Well, that depends on how well behaved you are," growled Anakin with a short laugh that would make anyone's spine tingle. Padmé was done; the argument had gone too far.

"Stop it! Just stop the bickering, okay? Both of you!" Anakin didn't flinch, but glanced at Clovis, then back to Padmé, and decided it wasn't worth his time to fight either of them. Not unless things could be justified in some way.

"Now let's get out of here," said Padmé, taking full advantage of the two men's silence. "Before they come back. They clearly didn't find what they were looking for, and Clovis is missing. They'll want to find him."

At that moment, Anakin's Force sense grabbed his attention and screamed of danger. He somehow didn't envision his day going _this_ well, and seemed to have forgotten that assassins and destruction usually followed wherever his young wife went. _Two peas in a pod_, he grimaced. And all of these thoughts raced through his mind in a span of two seconds.

"Get down!" he yelled, and the windows shattered as blaster bolts broke through them. Padmé threw herself to the ground, narrowly missing one of the shots. Clovis, too, managed to survive the onslaught, much to Anakin's chagrin. The Jedi Knight didn't stay down, but jumped to his feet with lightsaber in hand, deflecting the blaster bolts before jumping between Clovis and Padmé by the front door, which offered a small measure of protection.

"Thanks," acknowledged Clovis.

"It wasn't _you_ I was trying to save," answered Anakin coldly, reaching over to discreetly clasp Padmé's hand and give it a squeeze. His eyes flitted over the room as his mind raced elsewhere, trying to figure out how best to proceed. There wasn't time for an organized plan.

"Anakin, get us out of here," said Padmé by his side, and realizing there was no way but _into_ the onslaught, Anakin opened the door at their backs with a swipe of his hand and raised his lightsaber to shield all three of them.

"Run for it," was all he said, and then Clovis and Padmé were racing towards the speeder while Anakin covered their backs from the blaster-fire. The speeder levitated, and realizing they might possibly leave without him, Anakin crouched and jumping, landing on the speeder as it blasted off in the direction of the Scipio vaults, where the Jedi Crusier awaited them.

"Artoo, bring the ship around and pick us up!" said Anakin into his comlink. A stray blaster bolt struck the hull of the speeder and Anakin grabbed hold of the side to keep from falling off. Power was cut from the engines and the speeder fell lifelessly from the sky.

They crashed onto the ground below, and luckily for them, the snow was thick and icy, providing speed and momentum as the speeder raced downhill. Padmé's hands wrapped around the steering wheel while Clovis crouched to avoid the blaster bolts and Anakin deflected them with his lightsaber. Their pursuer was following them now, and nothing Anakin could do would stop him for long; he always caught up.

Padmé steered the speeder into a narrow trench, in an attempt to provide a small measure of protection from the oncoming fire. They were going so fast now that steering was almost useless, but she tried to keep her thought process one step ahead of everything else.

"Look out!" cried Clovis as a fork appeared in the trench.

"Anakin!" gasped Padmé, and he whirled around. Plunging his lightsaber into the side of the trench, he was able to direct the speeder into one of the trenches and blind their pursuer at the same time.

"Did we loose him?" asked Padmé, but at that moment, blaster shots rained down on them from in front. The two trenches had converged again into one, and this time, the assassin was in _front_ of them. Anakin deflected the shots, but not all of them. One struck Padmé in the arm and she went down. Anakin could feel her pain in the Force, and seeing her curled up on the floor of the speeder struck him like a bolt of lightning. But, clearly, Clovis was not capable of quick thinking, so keeping his ignited lightsaber in one hand, Anakin jumped in front of the steering wheel and grabbed it with his other hand. So it went, single-handed steering while deflecting shots with the other. And in this way, one of the deflected shots hit the assassin and sent him down, buying them a few moments while he rolled down the snowy hill.

Victory was short-lived, however, for even as their pursuer fell, the trench ended and Anakin saw their flight coming to an abrupt end. A great cliff fell away in front of them, for what distance, Anakin couldn't tell. He knew the speeder was going off the edge, though, and they would be going with it.

"Artoo, we need you!" he yelled into his comlink, but their time was running short, and the speeder wasn't stopping. Anakin reached for Padmé, and just as the speeder reached the edge of the cliff, the Jedi Cruiser with R2-D2 at the controls rose in front of them. With a mighty Force push, Anakin shoved Padmé and Clovis onto the wings, then jumped up himself, even as the speeder fell over the side of the cliff and shattered onto the rocks below them.

"Nice save, buddy!" grinned Anakin to R2 through the cockpit window, then he helped Padmé through the open hatch with Clovis following closely behind. A second later, Anakin was at the controls and they were on their way from Scipio.


	3. Part III

**MASSIVE SPOILER ALERT!  
**

**This is Part III, also known in The Clone Wars TV series as S06E06, "The Rise of Clovis".**

* * *

The Senate and the Council were both pleased with the successful recovery of Senator Amidala. They turned a skeptical eye on Clovis, a traitor to the Republic the last time he had been seen on Coruscant, but he insisted he was aware of a plot within the Banking Clan that would be to the Republic's advantage if brought to light. With Padmé backing his every word, neither the Senate nor the Council could do much to stop him. Senator Amidala was the most secure person on the Senate; if she knew it was right, it must be right.

No sooner had they landed at the Senate Building than Padmé was rushed off to be put into a presentable state for their meeting with the Chancellor. Clovis, too, disappeared. _Sissy_, thought Anakin, sitting down on a long bench outside the Chancellor's office. It was too comfortable, though, and he lay down, his long, lean body fitting perfectly. A second later, he was dozing off, still in connection with the Force and aware of his surroundings, but asleep nonetheless.

"What are you doing, Skywalker?" came a deep, severe voice, and Anakin's eyes flew open as he pushed himself upright. Master Windu stood in front of him, arms crossed, Master Yoda at his side with an amused expression on his face.

"Forgive me, Masters. I know better."

"Yes, you do," answered Master Windu, then he and Yoda disappeared into the Chancellor's office without another word. As soon as the door slid closed behind them, Anakin lay back down, the comfort calling his name as nothing had before. Well, except Padmé, on occasion. _Padmé._

"General Skywalker?"

_No._ His eyes flew open; he didn't know who might be with her. He was on his feet in an instant when he saw Clovis hurrying to join her, his siesta forgotten. Padmé, however, would not forget it, and her eyes laughed at him. It amazed him ever and anon how quickly she could change from travel worn battle garb into regal gowns which must require a crowbar to get them off.

"Oh, Anakin…" whispered Padmé before Clovis joined them, and her voice sounded seductive even without her trying. Anakin grimaced, then crossed his arms and glared at Clovis.

No more words were exchanged as the little group filed into the Chancellor's office, Anakin making sure to stay between Clovis and Padmé. The Chancellor greeted them warmly as more Senators entered behind them. Anakin took up a position behind Padmé, close enough to touch her, not even realizing how strange this stance may seem. No one noticed, though, and if they did, they did not bother themselves with reason.

Senator Bail Organa from Alderaan was the last to enter the Chancellor's office, and he did not bother to exchange pleasantries, but addressed Clovis directly. It was clear that the Senator did not trust Clovis, and any excuse made by said individual towards his plight was not taken, nor absorbed, by the esteemed Senator. Padmé, however, came forward to support Clovis on several occasions, and as before, none would doubt her say; if she said he was a good man, he must be. Anakin didn't believe it; he liked Bail Organa more and more as the minutes wore on. And occasionally, Anakin's best training got behind him and a snide remark exited his mouth in the direction of Rush Clovis. These incidents were passed off by all but Padmé and Master Yoda, who regarded Anakin with a questioning eye. The ice was thick between these two men.

And then, to Anakin's horror, Chancellor Palpatine stood up and ordered Padmé to work with Clovis in an attempt to discover where the funds from the Banking Clan were being put. They were clearly being stolen, but this was of no concern to Anakin. _Clovis_ was going to be working closely with his _wife_.

The meeting was dismissed soon after, and as they filed from the Chancellor's office, Anakin took up the rear behind Padmé. When they were free from the office, and in the central hall between the office and the main lounge, Anakin grabbed Padmé's arm, forcing her to stop. She whirled on him, but he didn't let her get the upper hand this time.

"Why didn't you just say no?" he demanded, keeping his voice low so the others couldn't hear.

"Say no? Why?" The anger was starting to flash in her eyes.

"I don't want you working with Clovis," hissed Anakin.

"You don't want me _working_ with him?"

"A serpent can shed it's skin, but it is still a serpent." Wow, that was wise.

"Well, you're just going to have to trust my judgment here." The doors had closed behind the others, leaving Anakin and Padmé alone in the central hall. Padmé turned to join the others, but Anakin stopped her with a hand on her arm.

"Like the last time? When you almost got killed? Or how about you getting arrested just now, and it was _me_ who had to bail you out!"

"The Chancellor has asked me to do this, Anakin," insisted Padmé, turning on him and putting on her most diplomatic face. It wasn't hard.

"But _I'm_ asking you to say no. As your _husband_. I _demand_ you tell the Chancellor you are stepping down."

"Demand?" The anger was clear on her face as Padmé lit into her husband. "We've been over this before, Anakin. I'm not foolish enough to be deceived twice. My soul intentions are to defend the Republic, and if you can't trust me…"

The door opened then, and Clovis walked in, cutting the conversation short. Padmé's eyes still flashed, though, and Anakin's jaw muscles clenched as he tried to keep his anger in check. They both turned when Clovis entered, and tried to appear as normal as possible.

"Padmé, we'd best get started," said Clovis, then glanced at Anakin. "General Skywalker." Anakin gave him a curt nod, a purely murderous look on his face that should have been a warning. Why didn't it work on this young fool?

Clovis turned to leave again, and Padmé made, hesitantly, to follow him, glancing back at her husband with an expression that bespoke trust and respect. Anakin knew what she was asking him to do; to trust her, to believe what she said was true. But he couldn't. Watching her leave, the loneliness had never been closer. His hands balled into fists and he turned away. He didn't know what to believe now.

Master Yoda must have said something, for no sooner had Anakin returned to his rooms at the Jedi Temple than Obi-Wan came looking for him. There was no easy way to discuss the matter of Padmé and Clovis, and though Anakin tried to keep his temper in check, his words held an edge, and his jaw clenched whenever he spoke. Obi-Wan didn't ask, but Anakin found himself answering with the usual response: "The Senator and I are just friends."

In that moment, as he had never before, Obi-Wan all but directly revealed the romantic connection he had shared with the former Duchess Satine of Mandalore, who had been killed only a short time earlier. But he insisted that they had moved beyond that, to a state of friendship that was purely business.

"It's not that we're not allowed to have these feelings, Anakin. It's natural."

Anakin couldn't care less. This wasn't about Obi-Wan, this was about him, and Padmé, and Clovis. The latter of which he had narrowly avoided killing several times already that day. In a roundabout fashion, Anakin was forced to admit that Clovis and Padmé were no longer romantically attached, at which time Obi-Wan smiled and heartily said, "Then we should have no worries." And left without another word.

Anakin wasn't convinced. Padmé had insisted no romantic ties. Now Obi-Wan seemed to be saying the same thing. But Clovis had other intentions; Anakin could feel it. Why didn't Anakin trust Padmé as his wife? Where had their relationship gone off the rails in such a way that he would _doubt_ her fidelity?

For several hours, Anakin paced in his room and tried to busy himself. At last, he could take it no longer, and went in search of a Jedi starfighter. He wondered if this was a wise decision on his part, but he had to know, for certain. He was at 500 Republica before he could rethink his motives, and then he could sense Padmé, and Clovis was with her, and the anger returned, telling him that something was wrong, and something should be stopped. He didn't trust Clovis; he didn't trust either of them.

"How maybe you will trust me."

Clovis and Padmé were together in the public lounge of her penthouse suite, enjoying a few horderves after a night at the theater. There was very little business going on, as Clovis insisted on changing the subject back to the sad story of his life, softening Padmé through her tender heartstrings if nothing else would work. He had just finished regaling her with the story of his upbringing.

"I'm here, aren't I?" asked Padmé, her sympathy winning her over as she walked over to Clovis.

"I want to thank you for everything you've done," said Clovis, reaching for her. "I don't think I would have had the strength, had I been alone."

"Clovis, don't," said Padmé quickly, pushing him away and turning her back on him. There was a reason their relationship had deteriorated, and she could never love him again. His advances, though she disliked them, made her feel as though she were being dishonest to Anakin. She would never cause him to distrust her.

"It's that Jedi, isn't it?"

"General Skywalker?" Padmé was taken by surprise. "We're friends, nothing more."

"Friends don't argue the way I saw you arguing today."

"Of course they do, Clovis."

"But friends don't argue like two old married people."

"You're confused…" She gave him a skeptical eye.

"Isn't it forbidden for a Jedi to have romantic ties? He would be banished from the Order, would he not?"

"There is nothing romantic between General Skywalker and I."

"Ah, then there is absolutely nothing to stop us from doing this…" And Clovis grabbed her tightly, dipping her down as he moved his lips towards hers.

"Clovis, no!" cried Padmé, trying to push him away, to no avail. This was like a nightmare, a horror story, something she had never seen coming, nor wanted. And she couldn't even get away from him. She pounded on his chest, but still he advanced.

And then the door flew open, and Anakin Skywalker was standing on the threshold, his eyes a fiery yellow as they saw what his heart only feared.

"Get away from her, Clovis!" he yelled, then reached out his hand even as he reached into the Force, clenching his fist even as the Force clenched around Clovis' neck, squeezing his windpipe, choking him. So strong was Anakin's wrath that Clovis was lifted off the ground, then was blasted with back-breaking force into the far wall.

"Anakin, no!" screamed Padmé, but he didn't hear her. He ignited his lightsaber and paced towards Clovis, who was rubbing his neck and trying to stand.

"Why don't you try fighting like a man without your Jedi tricks?" hissed the Senator, pushing himself to his feet. Anakin laughed, withdrew his lightsaber, and threw it to the side.

"It would be my pleasure!" he growled, then dove into Clovis, who put up a valiant fight before being pinned beneath the Jedi Knight and used as a punching bag.

"Both of you, stop this!" yelled Padmé.

"You don't have a say in this!" yelled Anakin back. The momentary distraction allowed Clovis to kick Anakin hard in the chest, sending him flying.

"I thought you said he didn't have feelings for you!" he said, turning towards Padmé as he rubbed his bruised jaw. Anakin was on his feet now, and glanced quickly at Padmé, his eyes flashing worse than before upon hearing that comment. Padmé looked at him with a mixture of pity and fear, before Anakin shook himself and dove once more into Clovis.

"I see you for what you truly are! You're a serpent, a traitor!"

Clovis was too busy fighting to make a good retort, and in that moment, discovered just how painful Anakin's metal prosthetic could be when clenched into a fist. Padmé continued to beg them to stop, but by this point, they weren't hearing her at all.

"Is that all you've got?!" yelled Anakin when the two men were locked in their struggle.

"You should just accept that the Senator has other interests than you," hissed Clovis, which angered Anakin to a breaking point. He rammed his head into Clovis', then threw him across the room, pacing like a caged beast towards the beaten man.

"Skywalker, you fool," hissed Clovis, then Anakin was on top of him, beating him once more into a pulp of bruises and blood.

"Stop it!" screamed Padmé, running over to Anakin, though she knew better than to get between him and Clovis for fear he would hurt her. "Anakin, stop! What are you _doing?!"_

_What am I doing?!_ It was like a flash of lightning. _What am I… **doing**?!_ Anakin's arm was lifted, ready to land the fatal blow, and Padmé's voice stopped him. He glanced at his metal prosthetic, curled into a fist, then down at Clovis' swollen face, and he was taken by utter horror.

"I'm sorry," he whispered, too stunned to speak clearly, and backed away. Padmé knelt by Clovis' side, even as her security team rushed into the room, alerted by the sound of fighting. They demanded answers, but all Clovis said was: "There was an attack. It was my good fortune that General Skywalker was here. They escaped in a speeder over the balcony."

"Is that what happened, Sir?" asked Captain Typho, directing his attention to Anakin.

Anakin couldn't trust himself to speak. He opened his mouth, but no words came. His look was withering and a little ashamed, if you were fortunate enough to know what those expressions looked like on him. He looked down at Clovis.

"Sir?"

Anakin opened his mouth again. The words were slow in coming. "If… if that's what the man says."

And then Clovis was being rushed off by the guards, and Anakin was moving towards Padmé, the sincere regret clear on his face.

"Padmé, I'm…"

"Stay _away_ from me," she hissed, and her eyes flashed. Without another word, she followed Clovis and the guards out of the room, leaving Anakin in a state of miserable agony.

It was a while later that Padmé came looking for Anakin. The medical droid had done what he could for Clovis, and when the verdict came through (nothing but bruises and minor cuts), she had gone in search of Anakin. It did not take much. Captain Typho, the only person on her personal entourage who knew fairly well of their secret marriage, directed her to the private sitting room off of the bedroom, where Anakin had initially docked his speeder. She found him there, sitting on the steps beside his speeder, his head in his hand, gazing off into oblivion. He turned when he felt her approach, and quickly stood up.

"How is he?" asked Anakin.

"Nothing that won't heal," was the short answer.

"I'm so sorry, Padmé," he said then, and there was sincerity in his voice. "I… I don't know what came over me."

"What's done is done," she said, her voice tight.

Anakin wasn't finished. "I can't explain my actions. It's just, when I saw you about to kiss him…"

"And I regret that," said Padmé quickly. "But it was not what you thought." She sat down heavily on the couch, not even looking at her husband for fear she would see mistrust in his eyes as there had been before. "You must know I don't care for Clovis."

"Don't you?" asked Anakin. There was that mistrust.

"I've told you why I'm doing this," insisted Padmé, turning to him now. "But still you refuse to accept it as the truth." Anakin sat down beside her, feeling how upset she was in the Force. "You could have _killed_ him, Anakin!"

"I know," he said in a soft voice, dripping with regret he didn't know he felt. He looked at his mechno-hand, knowing full-well that Clovis would be dead if he had been allowed to continue, and knowing for once how revolted that made him feel.

"This marriage is not a marriage, Anakin," whispered Padmé, looking away from him. "If there isn't any trust. We said at the beginning that this could be a terrible mistake." The tears glinted in her eyes. Anakin looked up quickly.

"What exactly are you saying?" There was not anger, there was not defensiveness; there was simply concern and a deep sadness.

"That other people who are married have everything we don't. Everything we _won't_. We live in secret, Anakin. Like it or not, our relationship is built upon lies and deception." She stood up and shook her head. "No relationship can survive that."

Anakin shook his head as if doing so would send Padmé's words away. "I know I went to far, Padmé! It's just…" He took a deep breath and looked away towards the Jedi Temple. "It's like something inside of me snapped."

"I don't know who's in there sometimes!" There was despair in Padmé's voice as she looked back at Anakin and he met her gaze. "All I know is that I'm not happy anymore, Anakin. I don't feel safe."

"But, Padmé…" He stood up and reached for her as she turned away again.

"I think it's best that we don't see each other anymore," she said, and she didn't try to make herself sound strong; she wasn't strong, and she knew Anakin already knew that. "At least not for a while. Not until I can trust myself again. I'm sorry, Anakin."

"I'm… I'm sorry, too," whispered Anakin, and as Padmé walked away from him, he turned and slowly walked back towards his speeder.

Captain Typho came down the stairs at that moment and saw Padmé with tears in her eyes moving towards him.

"Is everything alright, Senator?" he asked.

Padmé glanced back at Anakin, then shook her head and turned away, the tears starting to pour down her face. "No."

And then she was gone up the stairs, and Typho watched her leave before looking back at Anakin's starfighter as it slowly flew away from 500 Republica.


	4. Part VI

**MASSIVE SPOILER ALERT!  
**

**This is Part VI, also known in The Clone Wars TV series as S06E07, "Crisis of the Heart".**

_**Author's**_** Note: I want to apologize, first off, for the horrible writing I did in this chapter. I was in a hurry, trying to get this done before I lost my battle with sleep. I'm fairly certain it's obvious, and for that, allow me to extend my deepest apologies. The next one is going to be better. Be sure to comment anyway!**

**{trinity6diversia}**

* * *

When Anakin returned to the Jedi Temple, he walked slowly down the hallways, avoiding everyone within sight, his eyes downcast so they couldn't be read. He shielded his mind with the Force, more than usual, to keep others from reading his thoughts. He knew his actions would seem suspicious, but it didn't matter. Padmé had sent him away; she had put their relationship on hold. The warm bed he might have had the luxury to sleep in that night would be warm only to her. She didn't _want_ to see him; she didn't want _him_.

Back in his room, Anakin picked up a tool and started working on something that didn't need fixed. Tinkering on mechanics always helped to calm him when he was angry or frustrated, but this time, the project was too routine. He needed _something_ to do. There were no battles that needed his attention, no padawans he could train, no masters he could argue with. And there was to be no sleep that night; not the way things were now.

Slamming his tool down on the workbench, Anakin grabbed his cloak and left the room, heading in the direction of the hangers. He had been issued a new starfighter. It was a replacement for one he had, uh, _disintegrated_, a few months earlier. His missions between then and now were strictly on the deck of the large Jedi troop carriers, or riding in landing ships flown by clones. Every other time at the controls of a starfighter had been group issued, not one man. _This_ starfighter was to be his, until it _too_ disintegrated. It was yellow, per request, sleek, shiny and probably quite gutless, by Anakin's standards.

In the hanger, Anakin grabbed a box of tools and went to his new starfighter. It didn't take him long to expose the wiry innards, and once that was done, he was too absorbed in his work to think much about anything. He didn't even know how much time had passed; time, to him, was calculated by the amount of grease accumulating on his hands.

"Anakin?"

Obi-Wan.

"Anakin, what are you doing?"

"What does it look like I'm doing, Master?" Anakin rubbed his dirty hands on a rag. His cloak had long since been cast aside.

"It's two hours past midnight."

The young Jedi Knight said nothing, but dove back into the underbelly of his starfighter so Obi-Wan wouldn't see the look in his eyes. The argument with Padmé returned in full force, and he could recount every word she'd said. _Like it or not, our relationship is built upon lies and deception. No relationship can survive that._

"Anakin?" He could sense Obi-Wan crossing his arms and sitting down on an empty cargo container. "What is going on?" The question was not unkind, but it demanded an answer.

"Nothing. Nothing is going on, Obi-Wan. Just… tired. I wish I wouldn't have to be everywhere, doing everything. I really need a meditative retreat about now."

"Don't we all. But…" He paused, and Anakin finally looked at him. "I don't get the sense this is about the war, or about your peace with the Force. There is something elsewhere, something elusive, taking your thoughts. I may, or may not, be able to guess what it is."

Anakin snorted and turned back to his starfighter, though he could no longer focus on his work. Obi-Wan did not speak, and without that distraction, Anakin was forced to think about the unhappier memories of that night. He couldn't get past it; he couldn't let it go. All he saw when he closed his eyes was the sadness in Padmé's face when she said she wasn't happy and she didn't feel safe. It wasn't the war; it was him. _He_ was the one who made her feel threatened; the very one who should have protected her now made her afraid.

The reality suddenly very clear, Anakin's anger at himself could no longer be held down. He threw the wrench he was holding across the hanger bay, watching as it smashed into a pile of oil cans. It didn't make him feel any better. He took a deep breath, which only accelerated his anger, and his fingers balled into a fist, slamming into the side of his starfighter with back-breaking force. He knew this same anger could have killed Clovis.

"I don't know who's in me sometimes!" he yelled then, whirling towards Obi-Wan, and for the first time, the sadness and shame in his eyes was clear as day. "I make people afraid. Those closest to me are _afraid_ of me, Obi-Wan. I don't know who I am, or what I'm supposed to do, or where I'm going. All I know is that… there isn't any happiness anymore. Just anger, and fear, and bitterness, and it's because of _me_."

There was a very long moment of silence, in which Obi-Wan kept his eyes turned downwards, arms still crossed, unmoving. He made no move to speak, not even a single twitch of his muscles, and at last, in exacerbation, Anakin threw his hands up.

"Say something, Obi-Wan."

"What do you want me to say?" asked the Jedi Master then, looking up and meeting his young student's eyes. There was sympathy and compassion in the blue depths of his own eyes, which helped to calm Anakin, if only a little.

"That… I'm better than this. Because I _know_ I am. But I don't believe it."

There was another long moment of silence, but at least Obi-Wan looked like he was _trying_ to say something. At last:

"Anakin, I am very proud of you. I know you know the difficulties of teaching someone else. Ahsoka was like you are in many ways. But you have always been worse. You have been reckless, and careless, and ambitious, and your greatest thrill is getting yourself into a fight." Anakin cringed at this. "But that is your strength. You know more about yourself than quite a few Jedi in this Order. There are some who wouldn't admit things that you _do_ admit. When you aren't yourself, for example, or now, when you know that you have hurt someone, or more than one, and you are upset by that. You know how Master Yoda feels about over-thinking, and speaking into things that are not issues, but I am also willing to accept your point of view. That if you don't assess your wrongs, you cannot make them right. I will not ask what you've done. I suspect it has to do with a fight…" Anakin looked away. "Possibly a necessary one, but an altercation nonetheless, which caused someone _not_ involved to be greatly hurt as a result."

"And… if this were the case… how could I rectify it?" asked Anakin, not meeting his Master's eyes, for fear Obi-Wan would know the truth. He shot very close to the mark, even without reading his young apprentice's mind. "How could I make her trust me again?" This was added as a whisper, but Obi-Wan heard it anyway.

"That is up to her, Anakin," answered Obi-Wan, standing. "All you can do is acknowledge your wrongs and try to make them right. You can do it; I have faith in your methods of survival. But in the end, only those hurt by you have the power to forgive you."

Anakin nodded, certain that Obi-Wan knew the whole story by now, in not so many words. Indeed, Obi-Wan knew fairly well, and was choosing to ignore. No names were spoken, so in that respect, he knew nothing.

* * *

Anakin never slept that night, and early the next morning, forgoing breakfast, he took a Jedi speeder and flew to the Senate Building. Clovis and Padmé would be revealing their Banking Clan investigation results to the entire Senate, and Anakin had been sent by the Council to be a Jedi presence during that meeting. He chose to respect Padmé's wishes for separation, arriving at her pod just as she and Clovis were floating out into the main Senate arena. The sadness returned, but not as strong as before. He knew they could make it work, they just needed time. The war had taken its toll without any shots being fired.

The investigation results were clear as day when Clovis and Padmé laid them out, and within minutes, Chancellor Palpatine was calling to vote for a new leader of the Banking Clan. The only option was Clovis, as he claimed to be neutral in his intentions. The results were mixed, and though the Chancellor claimed an "overwhelming" support for the Senator Clovis, Anakin knew that a vast majority of the Senate was against Clovis taking over the Banking Clan. In the end, though, their say meant nothing, and Clovis was named the leader of the InterGalactic Banking Clan.

With the Senate adjourned, Padmé's pod returned to its docking station, which Anakin didn't realize until it was too late. He was too busy watching the outraged reaction within the Senate, and the outpouring of anger and frustration he could feel in the Force. When he looked back at the pod, Padmé and Clovis were already walking towards him, and quickly he pushed himself upright, forcing his hands to his side. With a quick jerk of his head, he nodded to both of them in turn, choosing to address Clovis with the entirety of his attention to avoid meeting Padmé's gaze.

"Senator Amidala, Senator Clovis. The Council has offered their services in the form of an escort on your return trip to Scipio. As the new leader of the Banking Clan, your security is the number one priority for the Jedi Order."

"Thank you, Master Jedi, but the Chancellor has already prepared a clone escort. Give my thanks to the Jedi Order for their courtesy."

"Of course, Senator," acknowledged Anakin, then with another incline of his head, he turned and departed from the pod bay in search of the Chancellor. As far away from Padmé as possible was his best bet, and it wasn't lost on her. She watched him go and her heart broke. She knew he was simply doing as she wished, and part of her wished she hadn't drawn that straight of a line for him to follow.

* * *

Padmé and Clovis left Coruscant within the hour, with a full clone escort and a Republic cruiser. Anakin watched them go. Then, knowing he would not be needed again that day, returned to the Jedi Temple to eat something and catch up on his sleep. He knew when Obi-Wan came and checked on him, but he feigned a state of deep sleep and was not disturbed. Not that time, at least. When Obi-Wan came again, later that evening, Anakin was even not given a chance.

"Anakin, wake up, there is an urgent message from the Chancellor."

"The Chancellor?" groaned Anakin, rolling over and propping himself up. "What happened?"

"We don't know, he didn't tell us. Something must have happened on Scipio.

"Scipio!" Anakin was fully awake now, throwing on his boots and grabbing his lightsaber before his brain even had time to catch up with him. He and Obi-Wan were racing towards the hanger bay a moment later, and as he jumped into one of the Jedi speeders, Obi-Wan backed away.

"The Council has ordered me to oversee a battle group formation, if it comes to a rescue mission. I will await your signal."

And then Anakin was flying off to the Senate Building, sleep a very near memory.

* * *

The Chancellor was agitated when Anakin arrived at his office. There had been mixed communications coming from Scipio, but if the reports were correct, the neutral planet was under Separatist attack. No further signals had been sent to Coruscant, and the Chancellor was clearly worried. Anakin tried his best to stay calm, if that was at all possible.

And then there was a beep as an incoming transmission was received, and a moment later, a static hologram of Padmé appeared on the holopad.

"Chancellor Palpatine, negotiations on Scipio have failed! The planet is under attack!"

"Impossible!" was the Chancellor's defiant response. "Scipio is not a war zone!"

"It is now! We need reinforcements!"

"I cannot condone a course of action that will put the vaults on Scipio at risk."

"The vaults have been compromised! The war is _here_, Chancellor!"

"Senator Amidala, I want you off that planet immediately!"

"I can't!"

"Surely you can get to a ship," said Anakin suddenly, stepping into the conversation. His voice was calm and even, something that surprised even him, and he tried to make himself seem as diplomatic as possible.

"General Skywalker," said Padmé, and her eyes turned softly to him, though they were sad and bespoke many hours spent crying over him the night before. "I'm afraid there is no way off this planet. I'm trapped."

The sound of droids were heard in the background as she quickly glanced behind her, and then they jumped on her, grabbing her and dragging her down. The hologram sputtered and faded, and when it was gone, Anakin realized that he had leapt towards it, hand outstretched, the other on his lightsaber, his eyes wide with horror. His heart was beating fast.

"Call an emergency session of the Senate!" The Chancellor had wasted no time leaping into action as he communicated with his private secretary. Anakin shook himself, still staring at the place where Padmé had been only a moment before. "Anakin, my boy, I need you to take a strike force to Scipio to retrieve the Senator and safeguard the vaults."

The order, if it was indeed an order, didn't seem to register in Anakin's mind, but he raced from the room anyway, not knowing where exactly he was going. Out in the hall, suddenly, like a bolt of lightning, it hit him. The Chancellor had ordered him to rescue Padmé. And Obi-Wan was preparing his strike force.

"Obi-Wan!" he shouted into his comlink. "Come in, Obi-Wan!"

"I'm here, Anakin!"

"Are the warships ready?"

"Momentarily. The Council has ordered a strike force, per Chancellor Palpatine's command. Lucky for you, I'm already a step ahead. Master Yoda and Master Windu will meet you at the site. You're ordered to the _Dauntless_ bridge, immediately."

"I'm on my way."

* * *

There was no regard to traffic signals or patterns as Anakin raced through the city in the direction of the staging grounds for the Republic fleet. He arrived later than he wished for, but sooner than expected, and forced himself to stay calm when he met the two senior masters on the Jedi Council. They were expecting him.

"Skywalker, great emotion you will find on Scipio, will you not?" asked Yoda first, which was an unexpected question for Anakin to be given first thing.

"I am worried for Senator Amidala," answered Anakin in an even tone which deceived him. "I'm afraid we may be too late."

"Correct, you were, about Clovis," continued Master Yoda. "But let go of your selfishness, you must, if you are to see clearly on Scipio. Not all is as it seems."

"I understand, Master," answered Anakin, inclining his head.

"Go then," said Master Windu. "And may the Force be with you."

And then Anakin was racing for the boarding ramp onto the _Dauntless_, feeling as though time were against him. Obi-Wan met him.

"I will say nothing that the Masters may have already said. So all I will say is, good luck, my friend. Find what you are looking for."

"If I knew what that was," grinned Anakin, trying to put on a positive face. They clasped each others shoulders, and then Anakin was racing down the ramp into the massive ship. A moment later, it levitated and slowly made for the sky.

* * *

Scipio was a mess, with Separatist cruisers and droid fighters everywhere the eye could see. The Republic fleet was attacked as soon as they were out of hyperspace, but their advantage was in numbers, and the Separatists were easily pushed back. And then, just as quickly as the battle was started, it was ended. The Separatist fleet pulled away and burst into hyperspace, leaving their ground forces stranded on the planet, and destruction everywhere.

Anakin quickly located Padmé's homing signal, and taking a small strike force led by Captain Rex, they descended onto the planet. Landing at the entrance to the vaults, they blasted their way through into the main body of the complex. Anakin went on ahead, slicing a path through the droids while the clones exterminated them entirely. Taking the stairs two at a time, he raced towards Padmé's signal, coming from a tower where he was certain to find Clovis with her.

Sure enough, Clovis was there, his back turned to the door when Anakin arrived, surveying the damage to Scipio in horror. Padmé was being held by two droids. She lowered her voice and said, gently but firmly: "Clovis, you have to turn yourself in."

Anakin kicked the door down at that very instant, Clovis turning as he did so, and the droids who had held Padmé. Anakin quickly sliced through them, but not quick enough to stop Clovis from grabbing Padmé and putting a blaster to her head. Hoisting his lightsaber, Anakin remembered what Master Yoda had said, and tried to stay calm.

"It's over, Clovis!" he said.

"Stay away from me! I didn't do anything wrong! You have to believe me!" His finger shook on the trigger, and there was a worse fear in Padmé's eyes than anything she could have felt in Anakin's presence.

"You don't want to do this," said Anakin, measuring out the words as he said them.

"You don't understand!" cried Clovis. "You've all been deceived! I'm not the villain here! Tell him, Padmé!"

"Let me go, Clovis," said Padmé, fighting against him, but he held her all the tighter, and his finger shook even more. Anakin dared not jump on him, for fear the pressure he had on the trigger would cause it to go off. He kept his lightsaber raised, so if it came down to a fight, he would be prepared.

At that moment, there was a flash of light, the sound of splintering glass and balls of flame and debris falling all around them. A Separatist fighter had been shot down and had spiraled directly into the tower office that was Clovis'. The floor tilted and slid, causing all of them to loose their balance. Padmé and Clovis lost their footing and slid down the tilted floor and over the edge, but not before Anakin dove and caught both of them, hooking his feet around a secure hold as he did so.

"I can't hold both you!" he yelled over the noise. His eyes, though, were only on Padmé. He could feel her loosing grip.

"Let me go!" yelled Clovis, and in his eyes was a mixture of despair, and a certainly that death, whatever that might entail, would be better than a life full of heartache and deception.

"No, Anakin, don't!" begged Padmé, and he didn't. He couldn't. He had almost killed Clovis before; he wouldn't let him die now.

"Try and climb," said Anakin to Padmé, knowing that she was the lighter of the two.

"I am," whispered Padmé, but with little luck.

"I'm loosing you!" It was true. Anakin's grip on Padmé's hands was sliding. He would hold on until the end, but that end would come soon.

And then Clovis looked at Padmé, and his eyes were sad and pained. "I'm sorry, Padmé…" And he let go.

"No!" screamed Padmé, watching him fall away, even as both of Anakin's hands came to wrap around hers. The emotion was too close to even allow for tears as she watched Clovis' body laying lifeless so far below them. It was so real; so present.

And then Anakin was pulling her up, straining, and his strong arms wrapped around her waist as he brought her further up the tilting floor of the tower.

"It's okay," he whispered, wrapping his arms around her shoulders and leaning his forehead against her hair. He didn't know what else to say; it was a horror story, the whole thing. "You're okay."

"I'm sorry, Anakin," whispered Padmé, and the tears came then, even as she clung to him. "I'm sorry."

"It's over now," whispered Anakin, and their eyes met as he leaned his forehead against hers. "It's all over now."

And it was. The battle had been won, the Republic forces were landing on the snowy ground surrounding the vaults, and Padmé was back in Anakin's arms. But he wasn't happy. Clovis was dead, and it wasn't his fault, but he could still grieve. He and Clovis were so similar, all along; they both were lost, and every bit of guidance they knew was in the wrong direction. And Clovis had given up, as Anakin had wished he'd given up at other times in his life. But he wouldn't now, because he was holding something that was more valuable than life itself.

_Padmé._


	5. Part V

**The sorrowful conclusion to this short little story. Sorrowful only for how the real story ended: with Padme dying and Anakin turning to the Dark Side. But enjoy it anyway! And be sure to comment, follow and favorite!  
**

**{trinity6diversia}**

* * *

The halls of the Senate Building were unusually empty as Anakin made his way through them in the direction of Padmé's pod. The rescue fleet had been on Coruscant for two days now following the altercation on Scipio. Anakin's time had been spent writing up reports and responding to officials investigating the death of Senator Clovis. The fleet, too, had to be inspected and brought back to par in terms of ammunition and forces. There had been only a handful of clone deaths during the short battle, but every dead clone had to be replaced with a new one, and those things took time.

Now, at the end of the two days, the Senate had finally called a meeting to discuss what was to come of the InterGalactic Banking Clan. The investigation into Senator Clovis' death had come back claiming 'casualty of war'. It had not truly been a suicide, although he had fallen of his own accord. But to save Senator Amidala and Knight Skywalker's life, it almost made him a hero of war. Almost, but not quite.

Regardless of how Senator Clovis had died, the fact remained that the Banking Clan was without a leader. Most knew, already, who the new leader would be, but it would not be official until a Senate documentation had been made. Obi-Wan and Master Windu had gone to attend the meeting as members of the Jedi Council, with Anakin attending due only to his presence during Senator Clovis' death – and the subsequent rescue of Senator Amidala.

It was the first time in a long time that nearly every political figure on Coruscant had turned up for a gathering of the Senate. The empty halls allowed Anakin time to dwell on his own thoughts, and to take his time. He was in no rush. Padmé had said she was sorry in the heat of the moment, but they had rarely spoken since then. The jump from Scipio back to Coruscant had been made in silence, with Anakin spending the majority of his time on the bridge, occasionally running down to hangers and communication decks when the need arose. Padmé stayed in the medical bay, not that she needed any medical attention, but because there were windows that she might look out of. There was nothing to see in space, but it was more than there was to see on the ship.

And then, upon entering the Coruscant atmosphere, Anakin had come in search for her. The Council and Chancellor Palpatine were all waiting for them, and by _them_, it meant _both _of them. The sad and troubled expression on Padmé's face, either for Anakin or Clovis, the aforementioned could not say, almost caused Anakin to loosen up on his defenses. For a split second, he felt the urge to pull her into his arms and whisper _I love you_ into her hair. But the urge passed, and he was glad he had not acted on it.

They had seen nothing else of each other in the two days that had passed, and now Anakin was on his way to her pod, dreading it, and yet hoping for a chance to see her all the same. She was his wife. He knew they could get past this.

Obi-Wan looked up when Anakin arrived in the doorway. The meeting of the Senate was already in full swing, with protests coming from every direction. Chancellor Palpatine did not flinch, his face rigid as he looked from face to face, hearing their protests and caring nothing for them. Obi-Wan didn't bother to fill Anakin in; within a minute, he knew everything he ever needed to know. The Chancellor was seizing control of the Banking Clan.

Padmé stood next to the docking controls, choosing not to be in the pod if Senator Organa from Alderaan decided to float out and protest the Chancellor. She was going to remain neutral in this instance, but her face, hard as stone, spoke otherwise. She did not like the idea of the Chancellor seizing control of the Banking Clan, as she had been against the start of the war in the first place. It didn't seem right. But she knew better than to say anything, at least in that arena.

Anakin leaned against the wall opposite of her, far enough back that she wouldn't see him. He gazed out at the uproar on the Senate floor, and then back at Padmé, or what he could see of her face. He could sense her frustration and anger, but beneath all of that, he could also sense her sadness. Underneath the façade, her heart was still broken. And he knew Master Windu and Obi-Wan could sense it too, because they both glanced back at Anakin after a particularly intense spurt of dejection emitted from the Senator. He shrugged, crossing his arms wordlessly.

And then, just as soon as it had begun, the Senate meeting was called to a close, and shaking her head, Padmé turned.

"Master Windu, Master Obi-Wan, I appreciate you taking the time to be a Jedi presence during this meeting of the Senate."

"Of course, Senator," answered Master Windu without skipping a beat. "We are, after all, a part of this Republic."

"Yes, well, at least a part of _some_ Republic."

"Senator?"

Padmé shook her head, not bothering to explain, and with a quick glance from Obi-Wan, Master Windu chose not to inquire further. Padmé's eyes traced to Anakin, still leaning against the wall, his eyes on the floor at her feet instead of on her face.

"Master Skywalker." He looked up quickly. "I cannot thank you enough for what you did on Scipio." Her voice was as diplomatic as ever, but it held an edge that he could not place.

"It was nothing, Senator," he responded, pushing himself from the wall and quickly bowing. "The Jedi are keepers of the peace; it is our responsibility to maintain order as far as our Republic is concerned."

Padmé said nothing, her eyes narrowing at this eloquent speech by the not-so-eloquent Anakin Skywalker. Obi-Wan glanced away to keep them from seeing the amusement on his face. Master Windu noticed nothing, but bowed slightly in Padmé's direction.

"Senator Amidala."

"Master Windu," she responded with an incline of her head.

Thus Master Windu and Obi-Wan took their leave, but when Anakin made to follow, he was stopped by a voice that always had the power to stop him.

"General Skywalker."

He quickly turned.

"Would you care to escort me home?"

"What of Captain Typho?"

"I gave him the day off."

Anakin didn't ask her how she'd managed to get to the Senate Building that afternoon.

"Of course, Senator."

Those were the last words spoken, for the walk down to the hanger deck was made in silence, and the drive to 500 Republica in Anakin's speeder was also made in silence, with it bothering him less than he thought it would. Padmé's mind was a maelstrom of emotion, but it soothed him and made him relax, because it reminded him that at least one of them was human.

Anakin pulled the speeder up to the platform off of Padmé's personal sitting room. He jumped out, reaching back to help Padmé alight, and when she had, and was making her way inside, he turned to leave.

"Anakin…"

He turned again, almost hesitatingly, and every bit of emotion he had felt during the drive over was now seen clearly on the face of his beautifully gorgeous wife.

"Stay with me tonight." It wasn't a command. It wasn't even a request. It was a tender heart trying to fix what had been broken.

"I can't," was his response, but it wasn't said cruely. She hadn't wanted to see him; she hadn't wanted anything to do with him. And he was still respecting that. He didn't want her to wake up in the morning and regret that night.

"Anakin, I want you to." She reached for him, a tear glittering in the corner of her eye, a fear in her heart that if he left, she would never see him again.

"No, Padmé. I can't hurt you again." And before she could convince him to stay, he turned, jumped into his speeder, and was gone.

Anakin couldn't sleep that night. He tried to wonder if it was a moment of weakness, one that she would regret, or if she truly had wanted him to stay with her. For the first time in well over two years, Anakin felt more like a Jedi Knight than anything else; following the laws of the Order, and not his heart's desire. But as the night wore on, he started to feel as though Padmé's request had been nothing more than other times, when work had been bad, or the worry had taken it's toll, and all she needed was a reminder that she was loved and always would be.

Rolling over on his cot, Anakin found himself silently wishing for the cozy comfort of Padmé's bed, the one they had shared for less time than they should have, but more time than he thought possible, given their personal duties. He glanced at the chrono by his bedside. It was only two hours past midnight, but it didn't feel like it. He was wide awake.

Groaning silently, Anakin pulled himself out of bed and into his Jedi robes. He grabbed his comlink and lightsaber, pulled on his boots, then proceeded to slip quietly through the halls of the Jedi temple in the direction of the hanger deck. He remembered a night like this a few days earlier, when he had nearly killed Clovis. Clovis was dead now. Stretching out with the Force, Anakin reached towards 500 Republica, but it was too far away for him to sense much of anything. He could feel Padmé's vague presence, but nothing more.

This time, Anakin followed the rules of the road, went the speed-limit, and stayed within the confines of the traffic. He was hesitant to be making this drive, given how well it went the last time he had. He kept remembering Padmé's words in his mind: _I think it's best if we don't see each other anymore._ He knew it was his actions that had brought those words to her mouth.

At the platform leading into Padmé's personal sitting room, Anakin didn't move to leave his speeder until he had stretched out with the Force. He found her within seconds. She was laying on one of the couches, sound asleep. With a sad smile, Anakin jumped out of the speeder and quietly walked across the platform to where Padmé lay, head resting on her arms, dressed in her loungewear, almost as if she had been waiting for him.

Gently, Anakin reached out to brush the hair from her face. She moaned, moving slightly in her sleep, but did not awake. He leaned down to kiss her cheek, then lifted her carefully into his arms so that her head rested on his shoulder, and made for the stairs to her bedroom. _Their_ bedroom.

"Anakin…" Her warm breath tickled his ear, sending shivers down his spine.

"I'm here, Angel," he whispered.

She wrapped her arms around his neck and nestled into the soft crook, enjoying the free ride up the stairs, which he did so effortlessly, as if she weighed nothing. He paused at the penthouse control panel only to secure the rear landing platform and lock all of the doors. The security systems already up, he maintained that things were in order and proceeded to lay Padmé gently down on the bed. She wouldn't let him go, though, and somehow, their lips met in a passionate connection that bespoke the days they had gone without.

It was inevitable that one thing lead to another, and within moments, Anakin's robe was thrown across the floor and his tunics were wantonly spread about in a similar fashion. He didn't see how any of this was possible. His lips were always in contact with something, either those of his wife's, or some other part of her body. But some things could not be denied, and what couldn't be denied was what she was doing to him; what she had always done to him, since the beginning of time. And how much he had missed this…

Not even two weeks after this romantic rendezvous between Anakin and Padmé, the Council ordered Anakin and Obi-Wan to report to the front lines. Six months of brutal fighting were to follow, with some battles won, and other lost. The information from the front lines were misleading, and towards the end of what quickly became known as the Outer Rim Sieges, the media had labeled General Anakin Skywalker everything from missing in action to dead. Following the abduction of Chancellor Palpatine by Separatist troops, Anakin and Obi-Wan were called back to Coruscant to retrieve the Chancellor.

The rescue was a success, and after returning the Chancellor to the Senate, Anakin found himself reunited with Padmé. She was worried sick due to the misleading reports, and within moments of seeing her husband again, informed Anakin that she was pregnant with his child. A hidden marriage was one thing. A hidden pregnancy was completely different. And when the child was born, there would be questions; questions Anakin could not explain, at least not then.

Following nightmares of Padmé's death during childbirth, Anakin set out to find a way to save her. For two months, his anger simmered as he was pulled into the middle of a conflict between the Council and the Chancellor, and all the while, the only thing he wanted was to save Padmé's life. He was wrongly led to believe that Chancellor Palpatine was the only one capable of keeping others from death, and after this discovery was unearthed, a new, much more terrifying discovery was also unearthed: Chancellor Palpatine was the Dark Lord of the Sith.

In a moment of truth, Anakin turned on the Jedi and struck Master Windu down, choosing the Dark Side over the Jedi, only to save Padmé. He marched on the Jedi Temple with a clone army and eradicated Masters, Knights, Padawans and even younglings. He then went to Mustafar to destroy the Separatist leadership, so that nothing else could stand in the way of Palpatine's plans for galactic control. It was there Padmé found him, led to believe that he had turned to the Dark Side. She discovered the truth for herself, and when Obi-Wan emerged from the hull of her ship, Anakin's anger reached a new high. He choked Padmé with the Force, something he swore he would never do, and when he saw her fall away from him, he felt a part of his heart die.

Obi-Wan fought him, then, something neither of them had expected to ever do, and at the end, misgauging a jump, Anakin had both legs and his surviving arm severed by Obi-Wan's lightsaber. He was caught in the lava and burned to within an inch of his life. Palpatine found him there, and took him back to Coruscant, fitting him with mechanical limbs and a life support system in the form of a terrifying black suit. And he was called Darth Vader.

Obi-Wan rushed Padmé to a medical center on a nearby moon, where he was met by Senator Bail Organa. The attending medical droids attempted to save her, but could not. Padmé gave birth to twins, whom she named Luke and Leia, and moments later, she died, with her last words spoken to Obi-Wan: "There is still good in him. I know, there is still…" And with her last strength, she handed Obi-Wan the japor snippet that Anakin had given to her when first they met.

Luke was taken to Tatooine to be raised by his Uncle Owen and Aunt Beru. Obi-Wan went with him to watch over him while he grew. Leia was given to Senator Organa to be raised by him and his wife on Alderaan. Both would go on, many years later, to save the Rebellion from the Empire, led by the Dark Lord Sideous, formerly Chancellor Palpatine, and their father, Darth Vader.

Padmé was buried on Naboo, clutching the japor snippet. No one would ever know her story. That once there had been a man who had loved her dearly, who had fought for her, and nearly died for her. The Hero With No Fear. Everything he had done and been done for her. And no matter how sinister he would become in life, this man would spend his every moment reliving the moment he had ripped the life from the one thing he had ever loved… and left her to die.

The galaxy was told, and believed, that General Anakin Skywalker had died when Order 66 had been executed against the Jedi. He was grieved for as a war hero. No one knew that when the sinister Darth Vader led his forces onto Coruscant to start the takeover, that he was, indeed, the hero they had all looked up to in a time past.

A tragedy, indeed, that he had suffered only to save the one he had loved more than life.

Padmé.

Padmé Skywalker.


End file.
